City Council to consider boosting aid to Jersey City schools, but divided on how

The cash-strapped Jersey City public school district may get the money parents and advocates have been requesting from the City Council.

The City Council will consider allocating extra money to the school district in a special meeting on Aug. 5 to make up for a decrease in state funding after it passed a resolution to amend the 2019 municipal budget Wednesday.

The resolution to amend the budget was approved, 7-2, with City Council President Rolando Lavarro Jr. and Ward E Councilman James Solomon voting against it.

The proposed $595 million budget would come with a 2% municipal tax hike, officials said in March.

The school district announced in early June that it planned to fill a $40 million gap by the anticipated sale/lease of administrative offices for $6 million, using a projected savings of $7 million from the school district’s self-funded unemployment insurance program and the infusion of $27 million from the recently enacted city payroll tax.

The City Council discussed making changes to the budget at Wednesday’s council meeting.

“I’m committed to at least offering an amount of school funding as a portion of a budget and have us vote on it, whether we are able to put school funding in our budget,” said Solomon.

Councilwoman Joyce Watterman said she thought Lavarro would speak to school board officials before they decide how to help the schools.

“We don’t know what to give and we don’t know what they need,” Watterman said about the schools.

After speaking with school district officials, Lavarro said the city council needs to take time to figure out exactly what the district needs before going forward with the resolution, which would allow the council to also approve the budget at the special meeting.

Councilman Michael Yun said he doesn’t want taxpayers to be burdened, but he offered no solution to funding the new line item.

Yun said school district officials have never formally requested the money.

“We asked many, many times, and no one has showed up,” Yun said of school district officials, noting that he wants to see financial documentation.

Lavarro and Yun bickered, each accusing the other of playing politics.

Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said a one-time boost from the city won’t solve the problem in future years.

“A one-time payment is not sustainable every year, which will mean that we have to deal with layoffs next year (kicking the can down the road),” Sudhan said in an email.